Trump hikes tariffs on Canada after Carney ‘approved’ anti-tariff ad
U.S. President Donald Trump imposed an additional 10% tariff hike on Canadian goods Saturday over Ontario’s misrepresentation of a Ronald Reagan address.
U.S. President Donald Trump is raising tariffs on Canada again. This time by 10%. The reason? He claims Ontario’s anti-tariff ad misrepresented Ronald Reagan's speech on trade protectionism.
Trump halted trade talks with Canada on October 23. Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded Friday, pausing the $75 million ad campaign.
“Canada was caught red handed, putting up a fraudulent advertisement on Ronald Reagan’s Speech on Tariffs,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday.
Mark Carney bravely throws Doug Ford under the bus, even though it's been confirmed that Carney knew in advance all about the ads in question.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) October 27, 2025
Carney really is an empty suit. Such lack of character. https://t.co/GyYWWTjb2p
Trump alleged Canada's ad campaign aimed to sway the U.S. Supreme Court's tariff hearing, calling it “FRAUD” intended to undermine U.S. interests.
“Ronald Reagan LOVED Tariffs for purposes of National Security and the Economy, but Canada said he didn’t!” he wrote. “Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD.”
Canadian imports to the U.S. face 35% tariffs, with exemptions for U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) products. Sectoral tariffs also apply to steel, aluminum, copper, autos, and lumber.
On October 25, Trump announced a 10% tariff increase on Canadian goods, in addition to current rates.
Federal Minister Dominic LeBlanc, responsible for U.S. trade, emphasized that trade negotiations with the U.S. are a federal duty. Ottawa is prepared to continue the recent constructive discussions with American counterparts.
LeBlanc said late on October 25 that the federal government “will remain focused” on direct engagement with the U.S. administration to achieve results benefiting workers and families in both countries.
Carney, meanwhile, stated his desire to resume trade discussions with the U.S., noting significant progress has been made and they await American readiness.
Speaking from Kuala Lumpur at the 47th ASEAN summit, Carney, representing Canada, stated he has not spoken with Trump. He hopes to expand Asian trade as Canada faces tariff pressure from the U.S.
The prime minister refused to comment on his displeasure with Ontario's premier regarding the ad campaign. Ford subsequently asserted that Carney had reviewed and approved the ads.
"They all knew exactly what the ad was": Trump says he won't be meeting with PM Carney "for a while" after Ontario rolled out an ad criticizing tariffs featuring a speech given by former president Reagan. pic.twitter.com/AerVnljOCv
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) October 27, 2025
Trump halted trade talks Thursday after the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute condemned the ad for misrepresenting Reagan's remarks.
“The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address,” the organization stated on October 23, adding that the Ontario government “did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks.”
Reagan's April 25, 1987, radio address, cited in Ontario's ad, discussed free trade but began with new tariffs on Japanese semiconductors due to Japan's failure to enforce a trade agreement.
Reagan also championed free trade to Canadian leaders, noting its warm reception globally. He believed worldwide prosperity stems from rejecting protectionism and fostering fair, free competition
PM Carney is asked about President Trump insisting he doesn't want to speak with Canada "for a long time" as trade negotiations continue to unravel following Premier Ford's $75M ad featuring former president Reagan. pic.twitter.com/0XENBw830H
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) October 27, 2025
On October 24, Ford stated he discussed Trump's trade talk termination with Prime Minister Carney. Ontario will pause its campaign as of October 27, though it will run during the World Series.
Ford intended the ads to spark conversation about tariffs' impact on workers, aiming to unite “Reagan Republicans” against “MAGA Republicans.”
Ford and California Gov. Gavin Newsom later released a joint video, wagering on the World Series game between Toronto and Los Angeles while criticizing Trump’s tariffs.
Newsom desired “tariff-free friendship” between Ontario and California, despite Ford removing U.S. alcohol, including California wines, from Ontario’s shelves in response to tariffs.
Alex Dhaliwal
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Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
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COMMENTS
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John Smith commented 2025-10-28 12:56:59 -0400Even if the ads had been free they would have cost too much. Doug Ford’s “hold my beer, watch this” moment has done nothing but piss off the people we cannot afford to piss off. Did he really think the Trump Admin would see the ads and think “huh, that’s an excellent point. Let’s chat”? I doubt it. Did he think the American public would be open to being educated by their neighbour? I’m sure that went over about as well as your mother-in-law telling how to raise your children (It doesn’t even matter if she is right). Perhaps he just hates to be out-bullied and needed to show us how tough he is. It may have won him some political points and played well in TDS circles. Who knows? There is no election imminent.
But this isn’t about whether you like Trump or not, nor about the merits of tariffs. We’re past that. It’s about navigating the current reality with our largest trading partner. Mr. Ford, we don’t need self-aggrandizing chest thumping. We need jobs and trade. You want to show real courage? Suck it up, get on a plane to Washington and figure this out.
And the guy holding the beer? That would be Carney. Did he approve? Maybe, maybe not. More likely he was like the sober guy at the party, watching with amusement as the drunken clown swears he can hit the pool from the balcony, disturbingly indifferent to the outcome.
But the ads weren’t free. It took the average annual tax revenue from about 8,000 Ontarians to pay for them. I would like my money back. But you’d just use my own money to pay me back anyway, after losing more along the way to waste and incompetence. -
Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2025-10-27 21:31:59 -0400Doug Ford reminds me of some of the baddies that appeared on “Stampede Wrestling”. A given bad guy would yell into the microphone about how he was really a goodie and how he would inflict all manner of mayhem and injury upon a certain opponent, doing so in a “scientific” manner. The host, Ed Whalen, would look at the camera and roll his eyes with an “Oh, sure” look on his face.
